History of Venice’s Jewish Ghetto

This site was the first Jewish ghetto in the world and was created in 1516, after the authorities of Venice decided that all Jewish people living in Venice (mainly on the island of the Giudecca) had to move to a confined area and could not hold any job apart from those indicated by the Republic of Venice. Among the jobs that Jewish people were allowed to do were money-lending and mercantilism.

At night the gates of the Ghetto would be closed and nobody could go in or out of it. Armed guards on a boat would patrol the surrounding canals.

Getting there

The Jewish Ghetto is located just off Ponte delle Guglie in Cannaregio, at the beginning of the Strada Nuova. As you get off the bridge, turn immediately left and then immediately right under the arch that reads “Sotoportego del Ghetto Vecchio.” This was the former gate.

What to see

You will enter a small dark alley which will lead you into the ghetto. As you step back in time, you’ll notice the quietness and the lack of crowds. Also notice that the buildings here are seven to eight stories high, which is quite unusual for Venice. They were constructed this way because the ghetto was a small confined area, and vertical expansion was the only option.

After you take a look in the nice Jewish bakery displaying all sorts of goodies, continue walking until you reach Campo del Ghetto Nov, where, near the Scuola Grande Tedesca, you’ll find the Jewish Museum of Venice. The museum is located in the main section of the Ghetto and it contains information on the history of Venice’s Jewish community.

After visiting to the museum, stop by the three splendid synagogues in Campo del Ghetto Novo (next to the museum) and then continue towards the other two in Campiello delle Scuole, in the Old Ghetto. In the 18th century, the ghetto had as many as nine synagogues to serve the city’s three “foreign populations” (German, Levantine and Sephardic).

I love to go here, sit on one of the stone benches, and be surrounded by trees, children playing in the campo, people praying and a few tourists sitting in the bars drinking a spritz. The atmosphere is so relaxing— and so completely far away from the crowds of Saint Mark’s Square. I highly recommend making the Jewish Ghetto part of your itinerary in Venice.

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Here’s a guide to our favorite memorials, including those that are on the well-beaten tourist path and those that are all-too-often overlooked by visitors.

1. Behren Strasse (U/S-bahn: Reichstag or Potsdamer Platz) is the wide avenue that runs alongside the Tiergarten park and connects Unter den Linden to Potsdamer Platz. Behrn Strasse is home to the U.S. Embassy, as well as two World War II monuments.

On the beaten path…

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Ebert Str. & Behren Str.), which is commonly known as the Holocaust Memorial, is a maze of steel gray “stele”, tomb-like slabs, that covers an entire block. Don’t forget to visit the subterranean documentation center for gripping, sobering exhibits about the victims of the Holocaust.

Off the beaten path…

Standing on the edge of the Tiergarten Park (on Ebert Str., between Behren Str. & Hannah-Arendt Str.), the Memorial for Gays Persecuted by Nazis is only a short stroll away from the Holocaust Memorial. Peek through the small “window” on the side of the 13-foot-tall concrete block to see a black and white film that depicts two men kissing. “A simple kiss could cause trouble,” reads the accompanying plaque.

2. Grosse Hamburger Strasse is a long, elegant avenue steps from Hackescher Markt. The street was once a center of Jewish life. It hosted one of the earliest Jewish cemeteries, as well as a home for seniors (marked with a plaque) and a school for boys (now the heavily-fortified Jüdische Oberschule, a school for children of all faiths). Today, the entire street is an open-air memorial to the Mitte’s once-vibrant Jewish community.

On the beaten path…

Will Lambert designed a bronze statue dedicated to the Jewish victims of fascism in 1957. Standing on the site of the long-destroyed Jewish cemetery, on the spot were Jews were deported to concentration camps, the somber memorial depicts a cluster of women and children awaiting their tragic fates.

Off the beaten path…

Installed in 1990 by the French artist Christian Boltanski, the Missing House (once at 15/16 Grosse Hamburger Str.) pays poignant tribute to one of the city’s many voids—in this case, a house that was never rebuilt after its 1945 destruction by Allied bombs. Twelve black-and-white plaques bearing the names, birth and death dates, and occupation of the building’s final residents adorn the facing walls of the two neighboring buildings. It’s a subtle, easy-to-miss tribute.

Continue north on Grosse Hamburger Strasse to reach the quiet, residential square of Koppenplatz. Standing on the northern side is a bronze statue of a table and two chairs, one of which is tipped over onto its back. The Memorial to the Deserted Room, by Karl Biedermann, pays tribute to the many Jews who were forced from their homes. It was installed in 1991.

3. Treptower Park (S-bahn: Treptower Park or Plänterwald) is an expansive stretch of green that runs alongside the Spree river in eastern Berlin. Big with picnickers, dog-walkers, and even boaters, the park is lined with gorgeous “Jugendstil” mansions and apartment buildings that reflect its history as a well-to-do district. It bears two intriguing traces of East Berlin architecture.

On the beaten path…

Occupying a massive swath of green, the gargantuan Soviet Memorial was built by the Soviet Union shortly after World War II to honor the Soviet soldiers who died in the battle for Berlin (1945-1949). Massive marble memorial plaques are overshadowed by the memorial’s focal point–a statue of a Soviet soldier, cradling a German child in his arms.

Off the beaten path…

Schlesischer Busch, a small, scrubby park north of Treptower Park, on the Treptow-Kreuzberg border (Puschkinallee), is home to a former Wachturm (watchtower) that’s been transformed into a small art gallery. Other than the concrete, graffiti-marred tower, there are no longer any traces here of the Berlin Wall that divided the city.

Tell us: Have you been to any of these memorials? Do you have another favorite monument or memorial that you’d like to add to our list? Tell us about it in the comments section.

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A neighborhood with flair

We the Cheapos do love us some far-flung city character. So, when last in the city of Rembrandt and pancake houses, we opted to stay in Plantagebuurt, where today university buildings and historic remnants reign supreme.

Nestled in the northeastern most part of Amsterdam’s city center, the neighborhood is lush with tree-lined sidewalks and smaller parks and is about a 10 to thirty-minute walk from many sights. Neighborhood attractions include the Rembrandt House Museum, Artis Zoo, and easy walking distance to Nieuwmarkt Square, where you can still see an original guild house or visit the flea markets.

Wartime past

Plantagebuurt was a Jewish neighborhood from the 16^th-century when it boasted factories, booming commerce and specialized industry. The neighborhood has always been a bit more isolated by canals and bridge constructions than other parts of Amsterdam, so it’s understandable that in World War II German armies cordoned off the area to create a Jewish ghetto.

When the war ended, many of the tragically deserted homes were destroyed here. Plantagebuurt was eventually restored in the 1970s. Today only the synagogue and the Jewish Museum remind visitors of the neighborhood’s past.

Getting around

Since Amsterdam is a city on bikes, quite literally, it will take you no time at all to get from Plantagebuurt to the rest of the city’s attractions. Or, you can always hoof it. When the Cheapos were last in Amsterdam, they noted that a good, swift pace got them from the Artis Zoo in Plantagebuurt to Centraal Station in about twenty-five minutes.

If you go, be sure to check out Cafe in de Waag and don’t miss the zoo.

For a list of budget hotels in Amsterdam, visit our guide here.

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